The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
tronella's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting, but the writing style is not to my taste. I found the pacing very odd - too slow for most of the book, then too rushed at the end.
caraghwhitehead's review against another edition
2.0
It is rare that I can't finish a book, and I really did try too, but I just couldn't keep going. There were parts of it that I really enjoyed and found interesting but other parts just dragged on.
mirel's review against another edition
5.0
Wow!
Although I learned about the tragedy of crypto Jews under the Spanish inquisition, I knew nothing about the Inquisition in South America or about Francisco da Silva. As such, the book was a real eye-opener as well as an engrossing read.
Although I learned about the tragedy of crypto Jews under the Spanish inquisition, I knew nothing about the Inquisition in South America or about Francisco da Silva. As such, the book was a real eye-opener as well as an engrossing read.
booksaved's review against another edition
4.0
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
This is the story of a man and his faith. I suppose I was a little naive in that I held out for a happy ending all the way up until the epilogue (even thought I already knew what was going to happen). I couldn't put this book down. I do love historical fiction and this had the perfect blend. Francisco is a Jew trying to find his way during the inquisition in the 1600s. It starts out by going between Francsico's childhood and Francisco as an adult, until you reach the present time. It is both tragic and uplifting in how determined he was to show the inquisition that they were wrong.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes history, fiction and a little bit of the inquisition.
This is the story of a man and his faith. I suppose I was a little naive in that I held out for a happy ending all the way up until the epilogue (even thought I already knew what was going to happen). I couldn't put this book down. I do love historical fiction and this had the perfect blend. Francisco is a Jew trying to find his way during the inquisition in the 1600s. It starts out by going between Francsico's childhood and Francisco as an adult, until you reach the present time. It is both tragic and uplifting in how determined he was to show the inquisition that they were wrong.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes history, fiction and a little bit of the inquisition.
phoebe_phorreal's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
The last 40% or so of this book was pretty great, but this book could have been a lot shorter and still been impactful. The insightful things that Aguinis has to say about belief, family, ancestry, inheritance, and freedom of conscience as they relate to Latin American history are bogged down in the first three books by endless lists and needless exposition that makes the plot drag, and it's difficult to see what makes the characters tick. That being said, when the book finally gets going, it's excellent, if a bit heavy-handed in its symbolism (Aguinis wants to make it very clear that one particular character is a Christ figure- he basically performs the symbolic equivalent of repeatedly bashing you in the head with an ice pick). The characters start to feel a little less like caricatures and take on some sort of life of their own. Moreover, throughout the novel, it's clear that Aguinis has done his research- though in the earlier parts of the novel that can make it feel more like history dealing abstractly rather than intimately with people than historical fiction.Â
Solid 3/3.25 stars. I liked it, the ending is phenomenal, if a bit overwrought, and I do recommend it to people who have an interest in Latin American history and Crypto-Judaism. I'm definitely going to look up at least some of the names and texts that were mentioned. Just be prepared for a bit of a slog in between some beautifully written passages until you reach the last third of the book.
Solid 3/3.25 stars. I liked it, the ending is phenomenal, if a bit overwrought, and I do recommend it to people who have an interest in Latin American history and Crypto-Judaism. I'm definitely going to look up at least some of the names and texts that were mentioned. Just be prepared for a bit of a slog in between some beautifully written passages until you reach the last third of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Antisemitism, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Torture
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